mabie



(No Model.) 4. sheetssheet 1,.

L. C. MABIE.. SPARK `ARRESTER'.

No. 473,847. Patented Apr. Z6, 1892.

A TOHNE'YS ma ravens co.. mormu'mo., wAsmNurnu, n. c.

(N0 Model-Yq ASheets-sheet. 2. L. C. MABIE.

SPARK ARRBSTER..

, No. 473,847. Patented Apr, 26, 1892.

WITNESSES/ /NVEN7'0/1" Zfay 02'07, 0' Jzz BY M M,

ATTORNEYS THE Noms ravens cc., mmrmmw., wsnmnfen. D. c.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Shet 3.

L. o. MARIE.

SPARK ARRESTER.

No. 473,847. Patented Apr. 26,1892.

fw/Waag By M ATTORNEYS (No Model.)

l 4 Sheets-Shneet 4. L. C. MABIE.

SPARK ARRESTER.

Patented Apr. 26, 1892.

/N VENTOH f JW @LLI/uu we Mams vaten@ co., now-uwe., wnsnmcmsn, u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

LANGFORD O. MAI-BIE, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOEZEKIEL J. LEVY,

OF SAME PLACE.

SPARK-A'RRESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 473,847', dated April26, 1892. .pplication tiled May 9, 1891- Serial No. 392,241. (No model.)

T all whom, t 71cm/ concern.-

Be it known that I, LANGFORD C. MARIE, of. Richmond, Henrico count-y,and State of Virginia, have invented a newand useful Improveiiieiit inSpark-Arresters, of which the following is a specification.

The object of iny invention is to provide a spark-arrester forlocomotive and other highpressure engines which shall entirely elimixonate from the products of combustion all sparks and cinders and shallcarry them ottn to a place of temporary deposit, so as to rclieve thetrain of tliisnuisance and also avoid the danger of accidental firesalong the track,

and which device shall also be so sensitive and effective in action asto carryoff the thick black smoke and give time for its fine particlesto be deposited before being discharged intov the air.

2o To these ends my invention consists in the construction andarrangementof the various parts of the device, which I will firstdescribe with reference to the accompanying drawings, andthenspecifically point out in the claims.

Figure lis a vertical longitudinal section through the front part of alocomotive-engine. Fig. 2 is a front view, in vertical section, of thelocomotive smoke-stack. Figs. 3 and 4 are front views of the smoke-boX,the parti- 3o tion-plate being shown on in Fig. 3 and removed in Fig.4E. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional View, and Fig. 6 is a plan, of oneof the revolving wheels; and Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional View of theupper part of the smoke 3 5 Stack.

One of the principal features of my in vention is to be found in thenovel construction and arrangement of two freely revolving wheels havingradial blades set at an inclina- 4o tlon to the plane of the wheel likea windmillg wheel, the inclination of the blades of tlie two wheelsbeing reversed, so as to give them revolution in opposite directions.Such a general construction of reversely-revolving wheels rotating fromthe impact of the blast in the smoke-pipe has heretofore been patented.

My invention contemplates such a construction and arrangement of thesepai'ts as will not only separate by centrifugal action the 5o sparks andcinders from the blast, but will be so sensitive and effective inoperation 'as to revolve continuously t'roin convection alone, thusallowing the device to be operative on this basis even when thelocomotive is standing still without choking the draft, and alsoeffecting the double separation of sparks and cinders at two diierentpoints.

In the drawings, A B O represent three concentric shells, of which theouter shell or main stack A is about tive feet high above the 6o boiler,twenty inches diameter at the base, and thirty inches at the top. Theinnermost shell or stack O is about two feet long, thirteen inches atthe base, and iifteen inches at the top. The intermediate shell B isonly about seventeen inches long and occupies a position about half-waybetween the oiiteraiid innermost stacks, extending slightly down overand past the upper edge Iof said innermost stack. These three shells orstacks are 7o held in fixed relation to each other by bracketarms ct andZJ, (see Fig. 7,) the arms a serving to connect the outer stack to thetop of the intermediate shell and the arms l) serving to connect theintermediate shell to the top of the innermost stack O, which latteratits lower end is sustained upon the saddle, as hereinafter described.l

Bolted to the bracket-arms a and l) are three horizontal transverse barsa ZJ c,wliich carry 8o the pivotal supports of the tworeversely-revolving wheels D and D. These wheels are of differentdiameters, the upper one D being much the larger of the two and nearlyfilling the cross-section of the outer stack, while the lower one D isof much smallerdiameter and revolves within the intermediate shell B.These wheels are constructed substantially alike with a centralcone-shaped hub d, (see Figs. 5 and 6,) an inclined marginal rim c,a 9oconical upper pivot d5, a conical lower pivot d4, and two sets of'blades d2 cl3.' These blades are substantially radial in position andtheir planes are inclined to the true plane of the wheel, so that ablast passing through the wheel in the direction of its axis will causeit to rotate like a windmill-wheel. The two series of blades have theirupper edges bent or curled over through a part of their length to formflanges that furnish an obstruction to Ioo the passage of sparks throughthe wheel. The two series of blades d2 cl3 of each wheel are not placedin vertical coincidence, but are alternated-t'. c., the blade of anyoneof the two series is immediately below or above the opening between theblades of the other series. The two series of blades thus arranged Ihave found to be an important feature of my invention, for by it Iaccomplish two resuits. In the first place the accidental escape ofsparks or cinders through the wheel without impact against the wheel ismade practically impossible, and in the second place the wheel is madeto run with greater power and sensitiveness and its speed iscorrespondingly increased, so that its concussive eect against thesparks and tendency to throw them outwardly and downwardly is verygreatly increased. The upper pivot d5 of the wheel D passes through thecross-bar d and enters a delicate cone-bearing in ayoke a2. The lowerpivot d4 is made detachable and removable, so as to be replaced whenworn,and it has a screwthreaded end adapted to be turned into thecone-shaped hub, and is squared at one point to receive a wrench. Thesepivot-bearings are made of the hardest steel. The lower pivot passesthrough a yoke b3, mounted upon a subjacent yoke b2, which in turn isfastened to and carried upon the cross-bar b. At the foot of the pivotd4 and mounted upon the yoke b2 there is a step-bearing d6 of hardenedsteel, glass, agate, or any other similar substance adaptedfto form adurable and delicate pivot-bearing. By this construct-ion of wheel andarrangement of the bearings it is rendered so free from friction andsensitive to motive effect that these wheels continue to revolve fromconvection when the engine is standing still-t'. e., the mere naturaldraft of the fires, unaided by the steam-blast of the exhaust, issufficient to rotate the wheels when the. engine is standing still, thuseffecting the clearance of the gases from the stack and avoiding thechoking of the stack and the throwing back into the engineers face ofthe gases and flame of the fire-box, which would otherwise result by thechoking of the smoke-stack by wheels otherwise constructed.

When the two wheels are in action, either from convection when theengine is still or by blast and convection when the engine is in motion,the following action takes place: The smoke, cinders, and blast comingup through the inner shell or stack C are parted centrally or deflected.outwardly by the cone c, which extends some distance down into themiddle stack. The larger particles of sparks and cinders are struck bythe lirst or lower wheel D and are driven downwardly between the innerstack C and the intermediate shell B, as shown by the arrows. The finerparticles, with the products of combustion which pass through the lowerwheel, are given by the latter a whirling or centrifugal action, and thelarger wheel D above is adapted to this condition vof things by reachingout to a larger diameter to catch the centrifugally-flying particles andrevolving in the opposite direction strikes them full with an impactthat drives them downward between the outer stack A and the intermediateshell B, as shown the arrows, which particles join below those sent downinside the shell B and are conducted by an inclined chute-board D2between the two stacks A and C to a dischargehole e in a saddle E,whencethey are carried oft', as will be described a little farther along. Whenthe two wheels are in full rotation, the lift of the ascending blastserves to raise the wheels slightly or counteract their gravity andcause them to be rotated in condition of almost perfect suspension inthegases, so that their bearings are relieved of the friction of theirweight and the wheel rendered very sensitive. For this purpose thepivots of the wheels should have a slight vertical play in theirbearings.

The saddle E, Fig. i, is made of cast-iron with a skirt, which is boltedto the boilershell at the top of the smoke-box, and is vformed with twoflanges-an upper flange e', which projects above the boiler -shell andforms a point of attachmentfor the main or outer smoke-stack A, and aninner flangee2, which projects below the boiler and into ythe smoke-boxand forms a point of attachment for the inner stack C. This protrusionof the inner flange e2 downwardly or in an opposite direction to theouter iiange serves thisI advantage, that it enables me to extend thelower end of the innerstack Cinto the smokebox, and thus for a givenlength of inner stack I am enabled to 'use a shorter outer stack, andthereby reduce the height of the smoke-stack.

F is Vthe cinder-pipe, which receives the cinders and sparks and holdsthem until dumped or discharged from time to time.v This cinder-pipe hasa relatively small neck-section f, that extends up to and connects withthe opening e in the saddle inside the outer stack, where it involves nounsightly appearance nor liability to accidental derangement. At a pointbelow the neck the pipe widens out with a shoulder, from which rises arelief-pipe I1", that ascends just in front of the smokestack nearly tothe level of the latter. The function of this relief-pipe is to preventpacking the cinder-pipe with air, which in reacting would interfere withand choke the downdraft between the main stack and inner stack as set upby the wheels. Vith this reliefpipe there is acontinuous downward draftbetween the inner and outer stack, which carries the sparks and cindersalong with it down into the cinder-pipe F,where the cindersgravitate tothe bottom, while the air regurgitates upwardly through thefpipe F. Thisis an important feature of my invention, since it renders it possiblefor meto take out of the mainy IOO IIO

jectionable impurities. .I ust hereit will be seen that there is acoactive effect between the revolving wheels and the relief-pipe, sincethe Wheels set up the downdraft, while the relief-pipe permits it totake place in an effective manner. As the cinders accumulate in the pipeF they are dumped from time to time, and for this purpose a hinged ValveF2 is held up and closed against the bottom of pipe F, oris dropped downand opened by an elbow-lever G G', whose arm G is attached to anoperating-rod G2, which extends back toward the cab to convenient reachfor operation by the engineer or fireman.

In the bottom of the smoke-box is arranged the exhaust-steam nozzle Hand immediately above it is the draft-pipe I, having a iiaring skirt atits lower edge, that extends down to the upper end of the nozzle. Thisnozzle is a short nozzle that does not extend up into the draft-pipe andis constructed with a flange g, that is bolted to the end of thesteam-pipe that brings the exhaust-steam. The internal shape of thisnozzle is flaring or divergent both at the top and bottom, so as toleave it of less transverse dimension at a median line than it is at thetop and bottom. The object of flaring said nozzle at the bottom is toprevent the sudden contraction of the dimensions of thesteam-pipe,-While the iiaring of the upper end is to give clearance tothe escaping steam, allowing it to expand quickly as it issues from thenozzle and securing a strong draft upon the products of combustion fromthe smoke-box to the pipe I and avoiding the deposition of a crust uponthe nozzle, due to the burned or volatilized oil carried by the steam.

In the front part of the smoke-box separating the cinder-pipe from thedraft-pipe is an inclined partition consisting o'f a detachable plate K,fastened to a stationary flange or ring i. (See Figs. 3 and 4.) Thisdetachable partition permits ready access to the forward ends of thetubes for inspection or repairs and serves to so limit the area of thesmokebox as to cause the suction of the exhaust to be positively exertedtherein, drawing the hot currents from the lire-box uniformly andenergetically through the flues. In the type of locomotive shown thispartition might be dispensed with; but in the class of engines known asextension-fronts-(having a considerable extension in front of thesmokestack) this partition will be found to be very beneficial insecuring the results described` To hold the detachable plate K to placebolts la are secured in the flange t' by threaded nuts and haverectangular yoke-shaped slots projecting forward, which receivesplit-keys Z outside the plate K.

Some of the advantages of this invention are these: It will and doesshow a saving of at least one ton of fuel to ever f one hundred milesrun. It will not destroy property by fire, nor fill the trains withsparks, gas, dust, ashes, nor heavy black smoke, as has been up offlues.

proven by actual service on both freight and passenger trains. The shortbell-mouth n ozzle H, terminating at lower edge of draft-pipe I, gives afree and equal draft through all the tlues, the result being no leakingor stoppmg Then, too, the short nozzle does not clog with oils used incylinders, as do the long (three feet one inch) nozzles generally usedin extension-fronts. One of my short nozzles in use showed as free andclear at the end of five months as it was when put in, whereas the longones are generally two-thirds clogged up in that time; also, the longnozzles show a much stronger draft through the top flucs than it doesthrough the lower ones, the result being that about five rows of linesat the bottom are continually stopped up with cinders and the greatdifference of draft and heat through the top and bottom tlues causes anunequal expansion and contraction of the flues and sheets, the resultbeing leaking flues and cracked sheets, and nothing shortens the life ofa set of flues so fast as continual boring out and calking of the sameevery three or four trips, as is now done. There is no netting in frontend or stack to become clogged by dampness or sweating, and therebyclosing draft; neither are there any detlector-plates in front end toget loose and fall down in front of iiues, and thereby shutting off alldraft, all of which is a source of trouble and expense and veryoftendelays important trains. There is no fire drawn through the flues anddeposited in and burning out front ends, which is so often done.

This device has proven that the extensionfront can be abolished withprofit to railroad companies, as they cost in construction alone one ortwo hundred dollars and are an immense weight on engine-truck, causingconsiderable trouble andA frequent delays by hot journals, especially tofast trains, and then, too, the area in extension-fronts is so large asto be almost impossible to get a perfect vacuum, thereby causing anirregular draft, which leads many engineers to bridge or reduce thenozzle, which is a serious detriment to the whole engine, as it splitsthe exhaust and causes backpressure in cylinders. The short bell-nozzlecreates a draft in the draft-pipe that lills the whole stack. No wateror condensed steam can be thrown out of the stack. It passes down andout of the spark-channel and there is a strong and unobstructed draftthrough the stack at all times. There is no stopping on the road tospark the engine, and owing to the downward draft caused by theintermediate shell and the relief-pipe the stack is self-cleaning andrequires no attention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination, with au engine smoke-A stack, of a freely-revolvingwheel having a peripheral rim and two sets or series of inclined radialblades, the blades of one series IIO alternating with the spaces betweenthe blades of the other series, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with an engine smokestack, of a freely-revolvingwheel having a peripheral rim and two series of inclined bladesalternating with eachother, with conical pivots above and below thesame, and bearings for the same, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination, with an engine smokestack, of two freely-revolvingwheels having radial blades inclined in opposite directions for oppositerevolution, the upper one of said wheels being of larger diameter thanthe lower one to reach out and catch the diverging orcentrifugally-lying cinders and sparks that escape thelower wheel,substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination, with an engine smokestack and a freely-revolvingwheel located therein, of a detachable conical pivot d4, screwed intothe hub of the wheel and provided below with a step-bearin g,substantially as described.

5. rlhe combination of the inner and outer smoke-stack, the intermediateshell B, and the two freely-revolving wheels of different diameters, thesmaller one being located in and substantially iilling the intermediateshell and the larger one being located above it and substantiallyfilling the outer stack, substantially as shown and described.

6. The combination of the stacks AC and intermediate shell B, thesupporting bracketarms a Z9, cross-bars d b c,the yoke-bearings Co2 b3b2 c2, and the two reversely-revolving wheels D D of different diametershaving pivot-al bearings above and below, substantially as shown anddescribed.

7. The combination, with the cross-bar c', sustaining the pivot of oneof the wheels, and the inner stack C, of the cone c, having its baseconnected to the cross-bar c', and its apex extending down into theinner stack C, substantially as shown and described.

S. The combination,with asmoke-stack having inner and outer walls withspace for downd raft between, of a revolving wheel or wheels forcreating said downdraft and a spark pipe or receptacle com mu nicatingwith said space and having a relief-pipe opening into the outer air,substantially as shown and described.

9. The combination, with the saddle E, having opening c between the twostacks, of the shouldered spark-pipe F, having a dumpingvalve at itslower end, and a relief-pipe F', rising from its shoulder in front ofthe smokestack, substantially as shown and described.

l0. The combination, with the smoke-box in an engine, of the draft-pipeI, and the short nozzle IfLlocated in the bottom ofthe smokeboX and madefiaring at the top and terminating at the lower edge of the said pipe I,substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

LANGFORD C. MABIE.

Witnesses:

EDWD. W. BYRN, SoLoN C. KEMoN.

